“We are not super ready yet,” OmaR and No!ob talk Nigma Galaxy roster changes

RDY GG the chance to talk with Tony "No!ob" Assaf and Omar "OmaR" Moughrabi ahead of PGL Wallachia Season 6.

Nigma Galaxy is starting the new competitive season with a slightly changed roster. A new safe lane duo can shake things up for a team, so we were curious to learn from OmaR and No!ob if the team had enough time to adjust to the new formula and what the expectations were at the start of the season.

We also touched on The International 2025 and Nigma Galaxy’s top-6 placement, and discussed the current meta and players’ wishes for a new patch.

Hi, I haven’t spoken to you since The International, so first of all, congrats on that top 6 there. How did the team feel about that placement? How was the post-TI atmosphere?

OmaR: Considering our year's performance, our result at TI was very pleasant. We were very content with it. But at the same time, we're still sad because we knew we were playing well and could have done even better. So yeah, happy and at the same time, a bit sad.

That was your first TI in the offlane, Tony. Do you feel better in your new role now? Has the offlane become your second nature?

No!ob: I'm trying my best, but it doesn't feel as natural as playing mid. There’s still stuff to improve.

Is there any mid lane hero that is super powerful right now, and you miss playing it?

No!ob: Yeah, I miss playing Puck. All the mid lane heroes, really, because they are more fun. Offlane is more static, while mid is more fun.

Do you feel like you adapted or you expanded your hero pool for the offlane to the best you can?

No!ob: I think I need to keep on adapting to new metas and learning new heroes. It's not enough. I need to keep on getting new heroes.

You have two new players on the roster now. Could you walk me through how and why these changes happened?

OmaR: GH wanted to take a break after TI. He wants to spend some time with the family. He's a bit tired, so he wanted a break. So that's how Tobi came to our team. About the TA2000, I don't know, I think we just thought we needed a change, and it just happened.

In a way, it’s a reunion with TA2000, also joining you, but he came just before PGL Wallachia Season 6. Did you have enough time to build the team chemistry to find your best strategies with the new additions?

No!ob: Yes, it feels that way, but at the same time, everything is pretty new, and we didn’t get to practice much, so I don't think we are super ready yet. So, we use this tournament to practice more and to get ourselves ready for future events. To be honest, I don't have any expectations in terms of results at this event. So whatever we get, we're going to get. It's still the start of the season, so it's fine.

OmaR: Building the synergy with the team is what we're focusing on right now. The main thing is to be able to match well with the big teams. We have the basis, but right now, I don't think we are there yet.

When I saw the announcement about GH taking a longer break, part of me hoped we were going to see KuroKy standing in, at least for the start of the season.

OmaR: He is focused on his role. There is no point in switching between being a player and a coach. He is a coach, and he's fixed on it. So, it's better just to bring a player while he keeps coaching. And he does the coaching very well.

We expected a bigger patch after TI, right? But it wasn't there. How do you feel about the meta overall? Did it get stale, do you want something new?

OmaR: I think the game is in a good spot, a bit boring, some broken stuff, but overall it feels ok.

No!ob: Oh yes, it became pretty boring, to be honest. The patch is very underwhelming. So we need something new.

Is there anything that you would really like to be addressed in the next patch?

No!ob: Remove Helm of the Dominator entirely and make it so that we get more fighting on the map. Something needs to happen because it’s been too static for a while now, so I’m hopeful that a big patch is imminent.

OmaR: I really hate Jakiro. So, yeah, just remove Jakiro and I'm fine with everything else.

We have a very packed season on our hands. Back-to-back tournaments, a lot of qualifier sessions, and constant travelling. How do you like this pace?

OmaR: I'm very happy with how the season is, to be honest. I like that there are a lot of tournaments, a lot of travelling. I'm happy to play as much as I can; hopefully, we can also win. I think it's good for the scene overall; there are more chances for everyone. It looks very good.

How do you feel about having your first match-up here against Tundra, who are fresh off a championship trophy in Singapore, at BLAST?

No!ob: I would say it's unlucky we have to play them first, since they surely have momentum right now. They are the hardest opponent here, for sure, but we need to try our best.

OmaR: They are obviously a very strong team, a top team basically. So we just have the mindset of not expecting anything, and we try our best. If we win, we win. If we lose, okay, we lost to one of the best teams. So we'll just learn and go on from there. But we're positive about it. It's going to be good no matter what, win or loss.

Do you have anything you'd like to say to the Nigma Galaxy fans to wrap up our interview?

No!ob: Thank you very much for your support, and keep following us, guys. Hopefully, we will bring good Dota.